The medieval Danish account of Balder by the historian Saxo Grammaticus suggests that he was always up for a fight. However, this objection probably gives undue weight to a single account. These speculations have been postulated mostly because the Old Norse term baldr would imply that he had warlike traits, when in the main account of Balder from Norse mythology he is portrayed as peaceful and even innocent. It may also have been linked with baldur, which means lord and was often used in honorifics, such as baldur I brynju, meaning lord of men. His name may also derive from the Proto-Indo-European word bhel, which means white, or the Old Norse bál, which means fire. His name, Baldr in Old Norse, probably comes from the Old Norse term baldr, which means bold. He was described in Norse mythology as the height of perfection, being both the fairest and wisest among the gods of Asgard. He was said to be so handsome and so noble that light emanated from his body, and even the most beautiful flowers bowed before him as he passed. Who is Balder?īalder (also known as Baldr or Baldur) was the Viking god of light, joy, purity and summer, and the most beloved creature in Norse mythology. Of all the Viking gods recorded in Norse mythology, none is described as more beloved by both the gods and men as Balder.īut who was, Balder, this most blessed among all the gods? And why is this celebrated Viking god most famous for his death?įind out more about the various stories from Norse mythology that surround Balder’s death with this video from the University of Colorado. God of war baldur full#This was the prophecy that the Giants foretold, of the twilight of the gods - the prophecy that Odin so desperately wanted to prevent.Norse mythology is full of gods and goddesses with mysterious powers and fantastic tales. There will be countless natural disasters, and the world will become submerged in water. Ragnarök will include a great battle that will lead to the deaths of all the Gods, including Odin, Thor, and Loki. After the great winter, it is said that there will be innumerable wars, and the end of the world that will put an end to all life on earth, Ragnarök, will commence. It is the harsh winter that will see snow falling in all directions, without any summer in between, for three successive years. Mimir, claiming to be the smartest man alive, warns Kratos that the three-year-long winter has started, meaning Ragnarök will follow, a whole hundred years early.įimbulvetr comes from Old Norse, and means "Awful, great winter". Baldur’s mother, Freya, fell out of love with Odin and was banished to the mortal realm, where she assists Kratos up until her son’s death at his hands, only to swear vengeance against him. God of War's Baldur was sent to find the last giant, Faye, by his Godly father, Odin, in order to prevent Ragnarök, not knowing that she was already ashes by his arrival. The stories tell that Loki certainly gets around, fathering many children including Hel of the dead, Fenrir the wolf and Jörmungandr, the world serpent, the last of which we meet in God of War 4. That fire was Loki, a Norse god who is a shapeshifter and often known as a trickster. Little is known about her aside from mothering her more widely-known son, but her names and the interpretations of them describe her as being ‘full of leaves’, and combined with her husband, the two of them symbolically embody lightning, striking the leaves of a tree to give rise to fire. Laufey is a figure from Norse mythology, mother of Loki and consort of Fárbauti, her Jötunn husband whose name means 'cruel striker' or ‘dangerous hitter’. I’ll leave that part for now, because there’s a lot of lovely big norse words here, so let’s break them down.
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